Chapter 6

It's like I've gone from the most unimaginable high to the most incredible low in the span of one heartbeat. Seeing Zane standing there has my head spinning, and I'm choking, drowning in disbelief. This has to be the stupidest, most unbelievable coincidence in history. Cash looks at me, his eyes filled with the same shock and incredulity that's mirrored in mine.

"Cash, Zane is your son?" I ask, my voice trembling as hard as my body.

He nods. "And he is your boyfriend?"

"Was. I broke up with him," I say quickly then add for Zane's benefit. "I'm your ex-girlfriend, Zane."

"Is this why you wouldn't fuck me? Because you've been fucking him this whole time? Is that it, Cassie?" he screeches.

"Zane, don't be ridiculous. I didn't know Cash was your father," I reply indignantly. "He gave me a job and a place to stay?—"

"And so what? You're fucking him to say thank you?"

"I had no idea she was your ex. This is all just a misunderstanding," Cash says.

"Right. And I'm supposed to believe that?"

"Zane, you never told me a thing about your girlfriend," Cash replies. "How in the fuck was I supposed to know?—"

"Shut up. Just shut up," he snaps. "You know, I should have known that you'd be a piece of shit. I should have known that meeting you would be a big fucking mistake. Mom never told me about you for a fucking reason, and I never should have come looking for you in the first place."

Cash looks wounded by his son's words and my heart breaks for him. "Zane," he says. "That's not fair. You know I?—"

"I don't give a shit what you think!" Zane screams.

"He's your father, Zane. Have a little respect," I say.

"He's not my father. He's nothing to me."

The hurt, rage, and disgust on his face are unlike anything I've ever seen before, and it terrifies me. In that moment, I realize I truly don't know what he's capable of. He turns his narrow, fury-filled face to me.

"And you're less than nothing to me," he growls. "You're nothing but a filthy whore?—"

"You watch your mouth, boy," Cash says, his voice as hard as his face.

"Fuck you."

"Zane, I know you're hurt. I know you're upset that I left you," I say. "But?—"

Without warning, he rushes toward me, his face twisted with wrath, cocking his arm back as if he's going to hit me. His movements are so fast they're a blur, but Cash cuts him off. He grabs Zane by the arm and in one deft move, spins him away from me.

"You do not raise your hand to a woman. Ever," Cash growls. "Not in my house."

With a howl of outrage, Zane launches himself at his father. Cash waits for him and at the last minute, uses his son's momentum against him, grabbing his wrist and with a slick spin move, pins it behind Zane's back. He cries out in pain and falls to his knees. Standing behind him now, Cash twists Zane's arm back awkwardly. My heart in my throat, pounding away like a drum, I watch it all unfolding, breathless, half of me in shock and the other half reeling from the unexpected warmth of emotion. Nobody has ever stood up for me before. Nobody has ever protected me from harm the way Cash is defending me right now.

"Are you done?" Cash asks.

"Let go of me!"

"Are you done?" he repeats.

"I'm done. I'm fucking done! Let go of me!

Cash lets go of Zane's arm and pushes him forward as he takes a few steps back. Zane gets to his feet, rubbing his wrist, wincing with a pain that goes far beyond the physical discomfort. He looks from his father to me, his disgust only deepening, before turning his baleful gaze on Cash again.

"We're done," he spits. "We're way fucking done."

And with that, Zane dashes out of the bar, the hard bang of the front door slamming echoing out to the courtyard where we are. Cash looks down at the ground and shakes his head. He looks so sad and lost that all I want is to hold him and tell him everything will be okay. That Zane will come around. But I know it would be a lie before it ever crosses my lips. I don't know if anything will be okay.

Cash's face drains of emotion and grows stony. He seems to be taking a moment to gather himself, and when he turns to me, my heart nearly stops in my chest as I'm wracked with fear. With guilt. And I find myself dreading the words about to come out of his mouth.

"This was probably a mistake. We probably shouldn't have gotten involved like that," he says quietly. "Let's go get ourselves cleaned up. We've got to open the bar soon."

As I watch him turn and head up the stairs that lead to the apartment above the bar, my heart breaks with each step he takes away from me. This can't be the end. Not before we ever really got started. And certainly not because of Zane. For the first time in my life, I found somebody I wanted. Somebody I'm comfortable with and somebody who treats me in a way that makes me feel safe. Cared for. Protected. And now, because of petty jealousy and spite, he's being taken away from me.

It's not fair. It's just not fair.

After my firstnight in the bar, I'm beat. It's harder than I expected it to be, but I managed to get through it all right. The customers seemed to like me, but Cash avoided me all night. He couldn't even meet my eyes and seemed to use as few words as possible when talking to me. It made for an awkward night, especially when he was training me. To be honest, it kind of broke my heart. And I could see it was hurting him too.

After showering, I sit on the edge of the bed in my room wrapped in a towel, staring at the floor enveloped in a blanket of emotions so thick, they're smothering me. What happened with Cash out in the courtyard was good. Natural. More than anything, it was right. It was more right than anything ever has in my life. To have Zane swoop in and take it away from me is infuriating. Beyond infuriating. He controlled too much of my life as it is, and now that we're not even together, he shouldn't get to have a say in who I choose to be with. And he sure as hell shouldn't have a say in who his father wants to be with either.

Getting to my feet, I grit my teeth. My heart is fluttering wildly like there is a tempest in my stomach. I've never had to fight for somebody before—not that I've had a lot of experience with relationships. But the position I'm in is unlike anything I've experienced before. I've never wanted somebody the way I want Cash. And I know that Cash wants me the same way. I've seen it in his eyes. I'll be damned if I let Zane ruin that.

Dropping the towel to the floor, I walk out of my room and down the hall. I can hear the shower still running, and the knot in my belly pulls so tight, it's almost painful. Everything in me is telling me to turn around and go back to my room. Well, almost everything. Though my mind is trying to force me to stop, the heat between my thighs and the desperate need to finish what we started today fill me and push me onward.

Trembling with both fear and anticipation, I pad down the hall and walk into Cash's bedroom. The bathroom door is cracked open and the sound of the water falling on the tile in the shower rings in my ears. Reaching out, I gently push the door open, letting the clouds of steam billow around me. Through the frosted glass doors of the stall, I see Cash's broad, muscular form as he washes himself, and a tremor runs through my most intimate parts.

Licking my suddenly dry lips, I step forward and open the door. He spins around as I step in, his face registering his surprise. Cash can't hide the desire in his eyes any more than he can hide the fact that this cock is already starting to grow as his gaze travels across my naked body.

"What are you doing?" he asks, his voice thick and rough.

"I'm not going to let Zane tell me who I can and can't be with."

Cash shakes his head. "We can't do this."

Reaching out, I grab his cock, thick and hard in my hand, and begin to stroke it, slowly sliding my hand up and down his length. Cash's eyes flutter and close and a soft groan passes his lips. His body tenses and the muscles in his jaw flexes as he clenches his jaw.

"We shouldn't do this," he repeats, though without much conviction.

I tighten my grip on his cock and begin pumping him in my fist even harder. He moans wordlessly and presses his head back against the wall. Cash's will finally breaks, and he leans down, his mouth crashing against mine. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth, the force of his kiss so powerful, it nearly steals my breath. I lean into him, still gripping his slick rod in my fist, jacking him off furiously. His cock throbs in my hand, and Cash throws his head back, the sound of his passion filling the shower stall.

A surprised squeak bursts from my mouth when he grabs me and spins me around. I plant my hands on the tile wall in front of me to keep myself upright as he bends me over roughly. He's got one hand on my hip, and he grabs my hair with the other, yanking my head back, drawing a salacious moan from my lips. Cash is so big and strong that the way he manhandles me makes me feel like a little girl. It's something I find unexpectedly sexy. My pussy quivers and I grow impossibly wet.

The tip of Cash's long, thick cock is pressed against my opening, and with a hard thrust, he buries himself inside of me. The sharp pinch of pain that grips me is like an electrical shock. My eyes widen and a stuttered gasp erupts from my throat as he stretches me open. The pain quickly subsides, and I'm overwhelmed by a rush of endorphins that makes me weak in the knees and leaves a shaky smile on my face. The sudden rush of pain seems to make the waves of pleasure of having him sheathed inside of me even more intense.

"Jesus," I croak. "Oh my God."

He yanks on my hair again, bending my head back at an awkward angle as he starts to plunge his staff deep into my sex. I close my eyes, losing myself in the sensations crawling across my body. As he pounds himself into me, I remember fantasizing about this very thing. I recall all the feelings it gave me when I got myself off thinking about it, and I have to say, actually having his thick staff deep in my pussy is so much better than the fantasy.

The sharp crack of his hand slapping my ass rings in my ears, that brief hit of pain drawing a startled squeal from me. My ass stings but it somehow highlights the pleasure he's giving me. Every sense I have is heightened. Every drop of water raining down on me from the shower head. Every sound is louder. Crisper. And every sensation rocketing through my body is supercharged, and I'm trembling like a live wire.

"Do you like that, little girl?" he asks, his voice hoarse.

"Yes, Daddy?—"

I bite off my words, my eyes growing wide as my face warms with mortification. The word just popped out of my mouth. I don't know why. Maybe it's because of how small and delicate he makes me feel and I'm afraid he's going to be put off by it. But the way he pulls my hair and slaps my ass again, his cock throbbing inside of me, tells me that he likes it.

"Say it again," he says.

"Fuck me, Daddy. Come for me, Daddy. Give it to me."

Cash's body grows taut and a growl filled with lust and passion echoes around the shower stall. His cock pulses inside of me, seeming to somehow get even harder. Cash tightens his fist around my hair, pulling it savagely as he thrusts himself as deep into me as he can. He throws his head back and lets out a howl that sounds more animal than human. It's such a sexy and sensual sound that my flesh breaks out in goosebumps as my pussy throbs just as hard as his cock.

When he erupts, filling me with his warm, thick seed, it touches off an explosion in my core. My head spins and my vision wavers as an orgasm more intense than anything I've ever experienced before rocks me from head to toe. My legs grow weak, and if not for Cash, I might have fallen forward. But he holds me up, his cock still pulsing, and I shudder as he drains every last bit of his seed into me.

It's only when he's spent and his cock slips out of me that he turns me around and slips his arms around my waist. He looks down at me, his golden-hazel eyes sending another tremor of pleasure through me. The curl of his lips is soft, and he leans forward, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. I'm spent. My orgasm was so powerful, even the strength in my body had been sapped. I'm drained. Even still, I want him again.

The look on his face is strange, and I can't quite pierce the veil of his thoughts. Part of me is afraid he's going to tell me this isn't going to happen again. That we can't do this. Except this time, I fear he's going to mean it.

"What is it?" I ask, dreading his answer.

"This is going to be complicated."

"Is going to be?" I ask, a spark of hope flaring within me.

He nods. "Is going to be."

I lean my head against his chest to hide the smile I can't keep off my face. Suddenly, a day that started off incredibly then turned to absolute shit has turned yet another corner. But he's right. With Zane being his son, this is definitely going to be complicated. Very, very complicated.